


at the bottom of the deep blue sea

by allgoodsaiyansdeservetails



Category: Twisted-Wonderland (Video Game)
Genre: M/M, Merfolk are low-key terrifying, Polyamory, Questionable Relationship Decisions, Twincest, Weird Biology, What's a Timeline?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:21:09
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26725846
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allgoodsaiyansdeservetails/pseuds/allgoodsaiyansdeservetails
Summary: Everyone has a story to tell. Some stories are uglier than others. The Leech twins, the Coral Sea, and the boy who never wanted to save them.
Relationships: Azul Ashengrotto/Floyd Leech/Jade Leech
Comments: 198
Kudos: 247





	1. Tub

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Floyd hogs the tub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific warnings: somewhat dubious consent, offscreen threesome, mild breath play, self-image issues (thanks, Azul) general predatory creepiness (thanks, Floyd).
> 
> I love these co-dependent fish so much, you guys.

Merfolk are always bigger up close than they look in pictures. It's most obvious with their bottom halves – everything is – but the top has its own subtle differences. Stripes. Gills. Thin sensory tendrils for hair. Stranger things lurk beneath thick skin and hard muscle: cartilaginous bone, row upon row of spare teeth, species-specific anatomy that has no analogue in a human. So really, it shouldn't be that surprising that they tend to be larger than humans as well. Azul is a perfectly reasonable size in both forms, but the Leech twins are, as always, completely out of control.

Green moray eels can grow up to eight feet in length; the giant moray pushes ten feet. Azul's not entirely sure which breed the twins bear the most resemblance to, but he is sure that absolutely nobody needs twelve feet of tail. His tentacles have nothing on that level of ridiculousness, and if that's because they tend to be almost wider than they are long, well, nobody needs to know that unfortunate fact. At least he can squash all of them into an aquarium or jacuzzi-style bathtub if he needs to. 

Floyd, on the other hand...

“Whoops! Out it goes, out it goes.”

Azul grits his teeth and tries very hard not to break another pen. A quiet night of writing up notes and reflecting on his schedule, that's all he's asking for. Nowhere on tonight's to-do list is _listen to Floyd abjectly failing at taking a bath._ The bastard doesn't even have the decency to pretend he's not having the time of his life destroying the bathroom. Azul weeps for their safety deposit.

Splashing. Endless splashing. Ugh.

“You do know you're supposed to keep the water in the tub?” he asks pointedly.

With a loud, wet slap, what must be most of the remaining water floods under the door. Azul grabs his magical pen and catches it with a spell before it can seep onto the wood. Visions of water damage and the associated bills dance before his eyes. That does it. Clearly he's not getting any work done here, so he might as well pick himself up and glare disapprovingly at Floyd for a while. It's rapidly becoming one of his favourite past times, even if it's staggeringly unlikely to have any actual influence on Floyd's behaviour. Floyd allows it because he likes to tease Azul. Jade allows it because it distracts Azul from looking too closely at his sinister designs. And Azul...

Look, sometimes a guy just wants an excuse to be frosty and disdainful at his idiot minions, okay? It doesn't need to link back to anyone's shameful past, secret lusts, or theoretical envy of how happy Floyd is in his own damp skin. If Azul wants to tell himself that he's only angry at Floyd's carelessness, then that's his business. That in mind, he stalks into the bathroom and immediately freezes in his tracks. 

Floyd's tail is out. 

Of course Floyd's tail is out. He's completely immersed in water. Fresh water, yes, but transformation potions aren't exactly known for being picky with their de-activation prompts. It's safer that way, or so they were told when the options were laid out before them. Azul went for the longest-lasting, closest to permanent one, but the twins actually like their bodies, so of course they went for one that comes undone the moment you get wet. One day some imbecile first year is going to dump a bucket of water on them and Azul will get to say _I told you so._ Right now, he's a little distracted. 

Floyd is... big. And distracting. If he makes for a tall, dark, and handsome human, he's a mouth-wateringly beautiful merman. That tail goes on forever, looping in on itself, a mobius strip of sharp stripes and jagged fins. Stark countershading bleeds over his face and stomach, staining his forearms, making the greens softer and deeper in comparison. Even now, coiled up in a vain attempt to try and squash himself into a surface-dweller bathtub, Floyd is in motion. It makes the dumb prey animal in Azul's brain quiver with terrified excitement.

Right on cue, Floyd looks up and grins at him. It's a hungry grin, but Azul doesn't take it personally. All Floyd's expressions are hungry. The teeth, though... there's no excuse for the teeth. “Ah, it's Azul? Azul came to visit?”

It's a dominance thing, to flash your teeth, one that regrettably hasn't been bred out of modern merfolk, and which Floyd deliberately plays up for his own cruel amusement. It's infuriating. Jade at least pretends to respect Azul in public, but Floyd refuses to bother. Azul lets it go because the last thing anyone needs is for them to get into a fight for dominance. It'd be embarrassing enough if he won and ruined his reputation as a calm, polite, reasonable monster. If he lost and had his position as Prefect usurped by Floyd? That doesn't even bear thinking about. So instead of responding to that challenge, Azul adjusts his glasses and smiles back, careful to keep his own teeth hidden. “You're getting water everywhere.”

“That's where water belongs,” Floyd says, sing-song and careless. His long, serpentine coils stir the remaining water in the tub into a shallow whirlpool.

“We're on the surface now. That means water damage is a problem.”

A low, unconcerned hum.

“I'm telling you to stop splashing.”

Floyd rests his cheek on the side of the tub, mismatched eyes sharp. “I don't care, though?”

Azul sighs and tries to think of something other than the quivering of exposed fins. They look so sensitive, shaking in the open air. It's definitely a trap. “What if Jade walked in on this mess?”

The splashing stops for a moment. “Ah. He'd be mad, huh.”

“He'd definitely be mad.”

“It's fine,” Floyd decides as the long, curved line of his body straightens out. That leaves most of his tail draped outside the tub entirely, sprawled loose and snakelike on the tile floor. Azul watches it undulate, mouth dry, and for a moment forgets rule number one of dealing with the Leech twins: where one goes, the other follows.

“Yes,” a calm voice says from above Azul's head, “it's fine.”

A terribly embarrassing noise escapes Azul's throat as he's shoved forward, over the slippery tile and straight into Floyd's grip. A moment later, the noise stops, because Azul's being crushed to Floyd's wet, naked chest. His clothes start soaking through immediately. A flicker of panic makes him spend precious seconds staring at his hands – soft, white, still blissfully human – instead of slipping free. By the time he's calmed his racing heart, Floyd's wrapped around him so tightly that Azul can hardly move at all.

Floyd laughs directly into his ear, a low, rumbling sound that reaches down into the most instinctive levels of Azul's brain and reminds him that morays eat octopus. “Don't fuss. Take a soak with us and relax, okay?”

“It looks pretty tight.” Jade's shoes click as he walks toward them, careful to avoid the puddles. “Do you think we'll all fit?”

“Probably,” Floyd says, muffling Azul's complaints in his chest. It's hard to breathe. Terror races through Azul's veins, making him struggle, but the thrill of being in Floyd's power is equally strong. Soon he can't tell the difference between the fear and the excitement. “It's just another little pocket in the reef, right? We have a ton of practice.” His voice drops suddenly, turning low and malicious. “Besides, Azul likes small spaces, doesn't he? It's just like an octopus pot.”

Azul works his head up just enough to glare Floyd in the eye. Floyd beams back, unrepentant, heated, hungry.

Ugh. Even if Azul protests, they won't take no for an answer, will they?

“Watch the water,” he snaps over his shoulder. “If it gets onto the floors, I'll make you pay to replace it.”

“That's fine,” Jade murmurs, pressing a kiss to the back of Azul's neck. His teeth brush the space between vertebrae, feather-light and threatening regardless. “It's better to replace them with something waterpoof anyhow. What do you think of stone throughout the dorm, Floyd?”

“You have the best ideas, Jade!” Floyd croons.

Thick, sinuous muscle wriggles all around them. Azul makes another terribly undignified noise as slick flesh rubs against him. This situation has been a string of awful decisions on his part, but he can't make himself regret them. Especially when Jade's delicate fingers begin gently undoing his buttons.

Floyd sinks his fangs into Azul's lips. Azul closes his eyes and kisses back.


	2. Teeth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jade's mouth contains: more stripes, a terribly long tongue, and many, many teeth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific warnings: dental horror, fear play, weird power plays (thanks, Jade), general predatory creepiness (thanks again, Jade).

Despite everything, Jade still feels a flicker of surprise whenever a surface-dweller opens their mouth. He's not entirely sure why. It's not like merfolk exclusively have fangs or serrated teeth – plenty of his old classmates have sharp beaks, stiff baleen, or flat shellfish-crushing molars. Human teeth don't look that dissimilar. Maybe it's just the repetitiveness that bothers him.

That's probably it. Humans, Jade finds, tend to be rather repetitive in general: same taste, same body plan, same teeth. Even their tongues are all but identical, tiny little lengths of muscle differentiated by nothing more exciting than old bite marks and the occasional barb. 

So weak. So boring.

“Are you quite done manhandling my servant?” Azul demands.

Jade hums quietly, deep in his throat, and continues squeezing the jaw of the poor, unfortunate soul in front of him. Their hands scrabble weakly at his wrists, but it's no use. Even if the anemone wasn't prompting them to stay still and put up with it, he's stronger than they are. They look so stupid and helpless with their mouth forced wide open, saliva dripping down their chin. “Not quite.”

“I expect this kind of nonsense from Floyd, not you.” The tone is biting but the eyes are interested. Azul can never stand not knowing things.

“Floyd doesn't have the patience for a thorough examination.” Not of a stranger, anyway. “Do forgive me for indulging my curiosity.”

Azul drifts closer, faint distaste on his face and a spark of satisfaction in his step. Ah, that's right – this one said some unkind things about him before reneging on the contract, didn't they? No wonder Azul's giving Jade liberties. 

What a deliciously petty creature he and Floyd have dug up.

“What do you expect to find, exactly?” Azul says archly, coming up to stand at Jade's shoulder. His head would fit snugly under Jade's chin. How cute. “Retractable fangs? Poison barbs?”

“That would be interesting,” Jade allows, “but no. This is... something of a comparison, I suppose.”

Azul's eyes settle on Jade's smiling mouth. “Comparison?”

“Mmhmm.”

“We've already seen everything human anatomy has to offer.”

They have. There were plenty of visual aids at the doctor's office. But posters and pamphlets can't give Jade the sensation of wet, hot muscle pinned under his thumb or the little whimpers that vibrate up through his fingers. He smiles down at his test subject and digs his blunted nail into their tongue. Their eyes flood with tears. “I don't know. I think I've learned a few things.”

Azul smiles like he wants to roll his eyes. “Keep that up and your hands will revert.”

He's right, sadly. Jade runs his fingers along the arch of tiny, dull teeth one last time and lets his catch go. They stumble backward, clutching at their jaw. He can't resist the urge to lean forward and give them a gentle pat on the hand, wiping his damp glove on their hair. “Thank you for your contributions to inter-species understanding.”

Finger marks stand out red against their skin, like stripes. They make a sad little choking noise and flee.

“Now look what you've done,” Azul says, but makes no move to actually scold Jade. Why would he? He likes it when calm, placid, restrained Jade makes his enemies cry. There must be something wonderfully empowering about having all your slights avenged without you having to lift a finger. Jade can only imagine. He's never been fragile enough to need avenging.

“It would appear you were correct.” Jade looks at his gloves and sighs. “Forgive me. I need to wash up.”

To his mild surprise, Azul follows him to the sink, talking idly about his problems. Jade does not care, but he smiles softly and hums in all the right places as he peels off his gloves, noting down anything that might be important to remember. His palms are fishbelly white, the inside of his fingers beginning to darken and slime over. There's nothing to be done. He'll have to soak them and let them dry out all at once. A full bath would probably be even better for his skin, but he's still technically on duty, even if it's a slow day. Taking a moment to torment one of Azul's toys is different from skiving off work entirely.

Ah. Azul's talking about him now. He should probably tune back in.

“Care to define comparison? If you truly wanted to explore the mysteries of surface-dweller mouths, you'd have taken advantage of Kingscholar. He might even have enjoyed it.”

Jade chuckles quietly. “There'd be no point. Afterglow Savannah is too far away from the Coral Sea. We'd have very little in common.”

Azul's eyes light up with curiosity. Like a shark after the scent of blood. “So you're looking for shared traits?”

“Among other things,” Jade agrees. He and Floyd are called morays and Azul's called an octopus, but in this day and age, no mer's pure anything. There are some general looks: octopus, dolphin, the ambiguous fish-and-human majority. Everyone's got a splash of cetacean in them to tie the human bits together. Almost as many have some kind of bony fish. Jade and Floyd's heritage is a bit murky, but he suspects they're descended from a mix of orca, tiger shark, and something nameless from the deep as well as moray. It doesn't matter that much, but it's fun to look over each body part and puzzle out where it came from, wonder where you might find a match. 

You can learn a lot from investigations like that. Or you can run your claws lightly over curves and sharp edges you already know by heart, each movement carving the existence of your partner a little deeper into your soul. Touch can be a terribly intimate thing. 

Jade gives his webbed hands one final scrub and turns off the water. Then he turns to Azul with a slow smile. There's no one else in the kitchen. How... convenient. “Did you want to give it a try?”

A muscle jumps in Azul's jaw. The smell of fear tickles at Jade's nose. “What are you suggesting?”

My, my, how direct. “You seem to be curious on the subject yourself.” The barest hint of teeth. “Or is there another reason you make a hobby of looking at our mouths?”

Floyd isn't here, but Jade speaks for him too. After all, they're in agreement on this subject. Though perhaps it's a good thing Floyd skipped out on today's shift at the Lounge – he tends to come on too strong for Azul's delicate sensibilities. If Jade's dear brother were here, he'd be draping himself all over their toy and purring all sorts of invitations when just one would suffice.

Azul's feet shift, but he remains where he is. His eyes flicker back and forth, calculating. “You want to make a deal?”

“There's no need to make something formal of it,” Jade murmurs. He sinks to one knee, putting his head just beneath Azul's. The better to watch Azul shiver. “We are friends, after all.”

It's a mocking parody of submission, but Azul likes that, doesn't he? Yes, says the bob of pale throat. Yes, say the shifting of muscles suddenly gone stiff. Yes, says the aborted movement of one small hand.

“Will you bite?” Azul asks, trying for careless. He almost manages it.

Jade shakes his head. Then, smiling sweetly, he opens his mouth.

Azul's breath hisses out through his teeth. So tiny, so blunt. Nothing like the knives that sprout from Jade's gums. Azul watches silver-blue eyes flick back and forth, from tooth and tooth, searching for something soft. It isn't there. Jade would know. But Azul steels his shoulders and reaches out slowly, like he's moving through deep water. Feathery touches guide Jade's shoulders down and tilt his chin up. Then delicate, white-gloved fingers are urging Jade to open wider.

Laughter blooms and dies in Jade's gut. How trusting. How sweet.

“You have stripes inside your mouth,” Azul says. “I didn't know that.”

Of course he didn't. As fascinated as Azul has always been with Jade and Floyd's lips and teeth, he's never had the courage to look deeper. It's always been viscerally satisfying. Prey should know its place. But they're not out in the reef anymore, and Azul is –

Well. If nothing else, he's fun. 

“No molars. That makes sense. You've never been the type to chew your food.” 

Or anything else, Jade adds silently. He's half-expecting Azul to go on and start talking about all the things he could swallow whole, provided he could keep his teeth out of the way, but that gaze is moving again. This time – 

Ah, judging by the way Azul's eyes bug out, he must've found the tongue, huh? It must be pretty shocking. This is why Jade finds surface-dweller tongues so tiny and useless. He doesn't know which side of the family passed this down to him, but it certainly is impressive, isn't it? Almost a full foot of slippery muscle, red as blood, kept wrapped up in the bottom of his mouth when not needed. It coils in on itself like his tail does, over and over, making it seem so much smaller than it is. Just the tip pokes out when speaking. The rest of it is one giant sensory organ, and frankly, Jade doesn't need to pull that out on campus. There's enough odd tastes in the air to get used to as is.

Jade thought for sure Azul would've flinch back by now. In the end, he's just a skittish little octopus, trying to paper over everything that reminds him of how much he hates himself, right? But he's still here, still running his eyes over all the things Jade and Floyd made sure to bring with them from the sea, and he doesn't look afraid. The scent of terror lingers, but it's growing richer, headier. Soon it's hardly even recognizable as fear anymore.

When deft fingers pry his jaw open even further, Jade lets him. He even hums faintly as they trace their way through the whorls of his tongue. Never mind that his face is beginning to ache, transformed muscles irritatingly frail compared to what's stayed the same. Never mind that Azul's fingers are going too deep, stirring up instincts many would call monstrous. Never mind that Jade's eyes are beginning to sting.

Azul's getting terribly close to him. Is this bravery, or the siren's call of an angler's lure?

He sees the precise moment Azul spots the glimmer of teeth deep in his throat. The fingers on his tongue go utterly still. As if that would be enough to save them. Jade smiles until the corners of his mouth hurt and lets hidden muscles ripple into motion. Slowly, gently, a set of pharyngeal jaws close on nothing. A silent threat, omnipresent, easily forgotten. All but undetectable from the outside. 

If Jade wanted, he could send them shooting forward lightning fast and take off Azul's whole hand. The teeth on his inner jaws are just as sharp, but slanted backwards. No prey escapes their grasp. 

Azul's breathing stutters. His hand stays where it is: warm, fragile, delicious flesh barely concealed by cloth. Jade could bite it off before he even realized. Both of them know this. And yet Azul stays exactly where he is, stroking the long wet length of Jade's tongue. Slowly, gently, his gaze shifts upward until he's looking Jade in the eye.

Really, how adorable. Jade wants to eat him alive.

“I hadn't realized how much the two of you had kept,” Azul says carefully.

Of course not. If he had, he wouldn't have done this, would he? Jade squeezes his eyes almost shut, still smiling, saliva pooling under Azul's fingertips. His hands twitch at his sides. Does he look stupid, he wonders? Or just hungry? 

Azul pulls back with the same slow grace, brushing a soothing line over Jade's gumline as he extracts himself. He's good with his hands. Floyd would lean shamelessly into the touch, or else snap playfully. Jade stays where he is and lets his mouth fall shut. His jaw aches. He's still smiling.

“Satisfied?” he rasps.

“You're crying,” Azul replies, his face schooled into neutrality. 

Jade reaches up with his bare hand and wipes his eyes clean. The tears glimmer faintly on skin that's neither green nor white. “It's only water, Azul.”

“I suppose it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you know moray eels have a second pair of jaws in their throats which shoot forward, xenomorph-style, to capture food?
> 
> Now you do. You're welcome.
> 
> (Morays also do not have tongues, but people have needs.)


	3. Fun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Floyd's not that hard to figure out. He likes fun things, that's all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific warnings: incest vibes, blood play, danger play, general predatory creepiness.
> 
> The Leech twins are totally out of control in this one.

The surface world has a lot of things going for it – sunlight, candy, brand new instruments, weird dance styles, parkour – but sometimes, it can be terribly dull. Boring. Predictable. There's nothing Floyd hates more than repetitiveness. If you're going to do something, you should do it because you want to, right? There's no point in doing the same old thing, day in, day out. 

Azul doesn't get it, but Azul likes routine. It's weird. He's weird. But his routines are as greedy as he is, always swallowing up new locations and new deeds, so Floyd doesn't hold it against him. Much.

Right now, he'd happily carry out five identical beatings for Azul if it would get him out of this class. Mr. Striped Beakfish has been rambling about the uses of aconite, monkshood, and wolfs-bane for hours. They're the same thing. They have the same uses. The whole class should know this, they went over the plant in first year. Floyd's brain is going to escape out his ear and tap dance out the door. 

He oozes onto his desk and lets his chin thunk heavily on the wood. Maybe, if he's very quiet, the striped beakfish will assume he's dead and he can catch up on his sleep.

“Stay! Blah blah don't sleep in class, puppies.”

Or not. Floyd whines low in his throat and stays exactly where he is. Leave him alone, he's already dead. A bloated corpse rotting in his seat. If the striped beakfish doesn't leave him alone, he'll start biting.

A soft click from the seat next to him. Floyd tilts his head to that side and whines again, louder. 

There's love but no sympathy in Jade's smile. “Class is almost over.”

“Not soon enough.”

“If you sit up, you can search for typos in Professor Crewel's notes.”

“Don't wanna.”

Another click, this one buried in a gentle sigh. “Really, what am I to do with you.”

Floyd groans and lets his eyes fall shut. He counts the seconds until class is over. Boring. So boring. He's going to spend the rest of the day out of sorts if he doesn't find something interesting right now – 

Cold fingers settle on his head. Claws run through his hair, leaving trails of white-hot pain behind them. Floyd cracks his eyes open and looks up at Jade through his lashes. What's Jade trying to do, hurting him like this? If this keeps up, he's gonna get the wrong idea, okay?

Jade smiles placidly. Only the faintest hint of teeth. It feels like a challenge, but then, all of Jade's smiles do. He's a troublesome person. Completely unpredictable. Even as that thought crosses Floyd's mind, Jade sinks his claws in deeper, cutting neatly through the fingers of his gloves and painting red across Floyd's scalp. 

Will it show? Will anyone notice?

Who knows.

Tick, goes the clock. Click, goes Jade's tongue as he turns back to the board. Floyd raises his arm sluggishly and braces his hand on his desk. The faster to spring free when this torment is over.

“What are you up to?” Jade murmurs. He doesn't glance down. Mistake. His claws are still dug tenderly into Floyd's skin.

“Nothing,” Floyd yawns. He doesn't hide his teeth. The better to eat you with, my dear, he thinks, and giggles. “Waiting.”

“Mm. I'll be patient, then.”

Jade's always patient. Most of the time, it works in his favour. Most of the time.

Tick, tock. Bringggg.

Finally.

Floyd erupts from his chair with the force of a bullet, heading not for the exit but for his brother. Jade has just enough time to jerk back before Floyd's on him. Cruel fingers yank his head back, exposing the pale expanse of his throat. It looks funny in pink instead of white, but all the little veins show through just fine.

Even in this form, Jade still tastes like the cold, dark depths of the northern sea. A little piece of home, packaged up in lean red meat. A shocked moan rumbles against Floyd's teeth as cool blood spills down Jade's front. 

He's a mess now, Floyd thinks gleefully. And what a sight it is.

Anyone else would fight, or realize how close Floyd's teeth are to their jugular and freeze up. Jade shudders all the way down to his toes and tips backward, baring even more of his throat, so his weight is completely in Floyd's hands. His pulse jumps dizzily under Floyd's tongue. 

Floyd could kill him like this. It'd be easy. But Jade's pulling Floyd closer, hands fisted around his tie, and it would be so boring if they killed each other.

This is why it's always been the two of them, together, even when all their other brothers were still breathing: nobody else has ever held Floyd like Jade does, and nobody else has ever sunk their teeth deeper into Jade than Floyd has.

With a wet pop, Floyd's teeth slide free. There's blood everywhere: on Jade's neck, on their clothes, dripping down the desks and pooling on the floor. Someone's screaming, Floyd notes, and files it away with the rest of the stuff he doesn't care about. He pays more attention to the annoyed huff of that striped beakfish and the rasp of a flask being opened. Laughter bubbles up in his chest, joyous and starving. 

Jade laughs back, a little more breathless, a little more strained. “Excuse us, Professor. We've made a bit of a mess.”

“No shit,” says the striped beakfish, except in slightly fancier words. “Get out of my classroom.”

Floyd doesn't need to hear it twice. Or even once. He's already yanking Jade along by the arm, trying to both tug him toward the door and keep his mouth on that bright, gushing wound. Jade lets him, turning them deftly away from any hazards. The rest of the class is weirdly empty. Almost like everyone else ran away while Floyd wasn't looking.

That's to be expected, Floyd supposes, but still. Boring. Nobody stayed to watch?

Oh, wait, no – there's someone breathing in the hallway. A couple someones. Shrimpy and their friends?

Yeah, it's Shrimpy and their friends. Floyd pulls back just enough to grin at them, licking his lips. Everything tastes like Jade. He loves it. “Eeeh, Shrimpy, were you waiting for us?”

Their heart is beating so loud he can hear it rattle their ribcage. They take a step forward anyway. So brave. “Blah blah let Jade go. I think I can make you do stuff even though I'm barely a mouthful.”

“Nah,” Floyd says.

“But you're hurting him!”

Ahaha, they really are stupid, aren't they? Jade shifts in Floyd's grip and tugs him gently in the other direction. 

“Thank you for your concern,” he rasps, smiling with all his teeth. “We'll be going now.”

They shift forward, eyes darting at the space between Floyd's hands and Jade's neck. As if they're thinking about separating the twins. On cue, Jade's grip tightens, yanking Floyd's head down. The two of them are practically cheek to cheek now. Floyd grins brighter than he has all day, and the smile continues on Jade's face.

Shrimpy flinches back. Their little heart goes pitter-patter.

Laughter bubbles up from Floyd's red-stained lips. “Listen to your elders, Shrimpy.”

Jade nods, deceptively weak, and pulls Floyd away. Towards the dorm? Yeah, it's in that direction. 

“But the dorm is so far away from alchemy class, you know?” Floyd hums.

“It's a bit of a walk,” Jade agrees. “We might drip.”

“It's fine, it's fine!” This is positively nostalgic. They used to play like this out at sea, taking turns scratching each other up and waiting to see what the smell would lure in. “I'll make sure you don't bleed out.”

Curved teeth glimmer in the light. “Of course. I'll be in your care, Floyd.”

Judging by the scuffle behind them, someone's trying to stop Shrimpy from going after them. Good thing. Otherwise, Jade might've ripped Shrimpy's little arms off, and Floyd definitely would've let him. Sweet red keeps running down Jade's hands, their own crimson wake, getting into absolutely everything. It's lovely. Floyd can't keep his tongue away.

“Really,” Jade sighs fondly, “what am I to do with you?”

“Whatever you want!” Floyd sings, and bites him again, harder.

Finally, this day is looking up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's okay, they both have healing moves. They'll be fine.


	4. Pity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azul deals with confusion, feelings, and the morning after Fun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific warnings: incest, blood, bruises, self-image issues (thanks, Azul).

The tale of the Sea Witch was originally written in Old Mermish, and the exact wording is still being debated by translators. Her virtue is the most polarizing issue. There are two favoured translations: 'compassion' and 'pity.' Which is most fitting given the historical and cultural context of the legend is the source of many academic slap fights. NRC vacillates between the two as necessary and Headmaster Crowley seems to prefer compassion, but Azul's always come down on the side of pity himself. It certainly wasn't kindness that drove him to unlock his Unique Magic years early, after all. No, what resides within his hollow chest is nothing but a twisted sort of sympathy – the ability to look down on anyone, no matter who or what they are.

Sometimes, the person he's looking down on is himself.

“Really?” he asks. “On my bed?”

One of the twins hums absently. He can't actually tell which. Usually, they speak in different registers, but when Jade's pitch rises and Floyd's drops, the sound blends together. It certainly doesn't help that they're all tangled up in each other, so close Azul can hardly tell where one ends and the other begins. They're lying stripe-side down, and normally that would be enough for him to pick out who's who, but right now it's completely useless.

Why? Because they're completely naked, except for a layer of drying blood, and he can't look at them for longer than a few seconds before his face spontaneously combusts. Not literally, alas. Bursting into flames would be safer than flushing in front of his dear friends.

“It's fine,” one of them murmurs. “G'back to sleep.”

“I will not,” Azul says primly. He looks at the bedsheets to distract himself and immediately regrets it. “There is blood on my fae-woven silk sheets.”

“Mmm.”

“Why is there blood on my fae-woven silk sheets.”

“Why, indeed,” sighs the one that's probably Jade. “Maybe they were in the way?”

“Ev'rythin's in th' way,” moans the one that's probably Floyd. “I miss th' sea.”

That explains absolutely nothing and entirely too much at the same time. Azul squeezes the bridge of his nose and breathes out slowly. One, two, three. “Did you at least use protection?”

A pair of identical olive eyes peel open and stare accusingly at him.

“Obviously,” says probably-Jade. “What do you take us for, animals?”

Probably-Floyd snickers at that, a low, rusty sound which implies interesting things about the state of his throat. “Eh, aren't we, though?”

“Well, yes, but he doesn't have to say it.”

Azul sighs, trying not to breathe too deeply. The air is thick with blood and salt. And... yeah, that sure is a condom, also bloody. It's probably too late to admit he was joking about protection, huh. He can't say he's surprised they had sex without him. They certainly don't need him for anything else. Entertainment, that's what he's here for. A good toy doesn't complain when its owners play with something else.

But Azul's never claimed to be a good toy, so he peels back his lips and smiles with teeth. “Since you had so much fun, I'll be leaving the clean-up to you two.”

They glance at each other and smirk. Jade sits up slowly, both eyes finally visible, a sinuous movement that draws attention to the bitemarks that decorate – well, everything. His wrists are entirely purple. His neck is crusted and raw. Azul's mouth goes dry when he stretches. Jade looks awful. Debauched. Abused. Like he was attacked by a wild animal and it amused him to let it do what it wanted, which is probably accurate. Floyd is watching him too, still curled up in the remains of Azul's bed, and Azul's heart skips a beat. 

Floyd's bitten and bloody as well. For some reason, Azul wasn't expecting that. He has no idea why. If anyone knows how similar the Leech twins are, it's him, isn't it? They put on a show of being straitlaced and wild, smart and empty-headed, kind and callous, but in the end they're cut from the same cloth. The same kind of monster with the same cruel smile.

Then they're both looking at Azul, and Azul can't tear his eyes away.

“My, my, Azul, are you jealous?” Jade leers.

“No,” Azul snaps, and goes to sulk in their room.

The sad part is that it's not even untrue. 'Jealous' is shooting off in entirely the wrong direction. Azul doesn't want Floyd to savage him instead of Jade or vice versa – he's quite content with the Leech twins savaging each other. They've always been too close; it makes sense that they'd take out their bloodlust and... less publicly-acceptable varieties of lust on their other half. Azul's been expecting it since elementary school, to be completely honest. He looked at the way Floyd always kept one eye on Jade and Jade would move heaven and ocean for Floyd, and he thought 'those two don't need anyone else.'

Back then, Azul was envious. Now he's just miserable. Falling in love with one person is hard enough. Two? Two is impossible. You shouldn't be allowed to fall for the shape of other peoples' intertwined hearts. 

Hours later, Jade knocks politely on the door and delivers an empty apology. He's dressed now, but his shirtsleeves are rolled up to the elbow. Azul counts the imprints of teeth captured in the flesh of Jade's wrists and wonders how it felt to receive them. If Floyd held Jade down while doing it. If Jade wrapped himself around his brother instead, laughing eyes bright, crooning affection and encouragement into Floyd's ear.

Azul could ask. They'd probably tell him. But he's certain he'd regret it. So he smiles and accepts Jade's apology, pretending he's not thinking about his only friends fucking in his bed, knowing he'll walk in on them later, while Jade looks down through hooded eyes. When Azul steps outside, Floyd's shirt is barely buttoned, not even trying to hide the bruises. He gives Azul the same half-gleeful, half-considering look while Azul tries not to wonder how far the damage stretches. If Floyd would like it if Azul pressed his fingers to ripped, swollen skin.

He keeps expecting them to laugh at him. To mock him. To rub in that they never needed him, he isn't important, all they've ever cared about is each other. They never do. They don't have to.

It isn't compassion that keeps them quiet; they wouldn't know compassion if it bit them. The only ones they've ever been kind to are each other. Must be pity, then. Pity for the stupid little octopus that looks at their closeness – at the marks they carve into each other – and wonders.

There's no point in wondering. He can't show weakness to anyone, least of all them. But he can't seem to stop himself.

Really, what a pitiful man he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't get used to the direct sequels. Continuity and I are not on speaking terms.


	5. Alive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jade and Floyd have always swum too close together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific warnings: mild depictions of childhood bullying, self-image issues (thanks, Azul), mild cannibalism (thanks, Floyd), incest vibes, general predatory creepiness.

The first time Azul laid eyes on the Leech twins, he thought they'd end up like him. Okay, maybe not exactly like him – they were much sleeker than him, even back then, all long, slippery tail – but the same place: the bottom rung. Elementary school was rough for anyone who stuck out, and they stuck out hard. Their colouring was so old-fashioned he could hear the jeers of 'feral!' and 'monster!' already. They had fins everywhere, and worse, the fins were jagged, like they'd been ripped and healed wrong. They were too skinny, too nervous, always in motion. Schooling behaviour, almost, except they made no attempt to join up with the rest of the children, even as the teacher did her best to usher them into the coral sphere where lessons were held.

“It's okay,” she kept telling them, “everyone's really nice. You're going to make friends immediately.”

Ha, Azul thought viciously, fat chance. Everyone in this class was awful. Everyone in this school was awful. Those scarred, stripy eels would learn soon enough.

The two of them wove gracefully around her hands, bodies twining and intertwining until they were practically one person. When Azul caught a glimpse of their faces, he saw smiles. Sweet smiles. Obedient smiles. Smiles without a single trace of teeth. Smiles with absolutely nothing behind them.

“Come on,” the teacher fussed. “Can you introduce yourselves?”

The twins slowed their frantic dance just long enough to give each other a long, lingering look. Something was communicated, but what? Concern? Amusement? A full-on plot? It was over too quickly for him to judge.

“Nah,” said one of the twins.

“We're fine,” agreed the other.

In retrospect, it was probably Floyd who spoke first and Jade who spoke second, but Azul didn't know that back then. He didn't know anything, except that the teacher was gaping at them, and the rest of the fry in class had stopped gossiping and schooling among each other to stare at the newcomers.

So the only way to get their attention was to reject it. Figured.

“Eh?” one of the twins said in a soft, lilting tone. It rose and fell like gentle waves, soothing and remote. “Whatcha looking at?”

“I wonder,” the other twin hummed. His voice was sharper, a touch more clipped, cool and distant like ice passing overhead. “Is there something interesting over here?”

A moment of visible thought. “There's you?”

“There's you.”

They looked into each other's eyes and their smiles came to life. To this day, that's the only way Azul can describe that moment – those dead little faces that only held meaning when looking at each other.

“What's with these guys?” someone had whispered from the crowd of fins. “Weirdos.”

The twins turned their heads toward the noise in sync, clocked the location, and then dismissed it. As if the people saying ugly things about them didn't matter. As if nothing mattered but the constant slide of skin on skin, the process of mirroring each other's movements, two shapes blurring together until they become one.

Ah, Azul realized with a pang jealousy, it doesn't matter at all to them. Those two don't need anyone else.

How pitiful. How enviable.

He wanted that.

The twins never did take an interest in schooling, but even after they calmed down enough to stop twining and circling, they always swam too close together. Still do, really. Azul isn't sure how the surface-dwellers have failed to notice. Anyone who grew up in the Coral Sea can peg them within a week. Merfolk have two modes, you see: full-on schooling, where everyone lives in each other's pockets, and regular socializing. Schooling behaviour is only appropriate when you're in a big group catching up or working at a task, and even then, people tend to dart in and out of schools. It's overwhelming. Even a social butterfly needs a moment to calm down before rejoining the horde. Regular socializing is calmer, less frantic, and most importantly, more spaced-out. 

Touch matters outside of schooling. Swimming directly in someone's wake matters. And if you reach out and touch someone uninvited – well, that's rude. But the twins never cared. They didn't care so completely and thoroughly that people gave up teasing them for it, especially after Floyd started getting rambunctious and Jade learned how easy it was to talk people into letting you hurt them. They weren't popular, but they were notorious, and people only sought them out if they had something specific to ask. 

So yeah, Azul was wrong when he thought the twins were like him. They're better. They've always been better.

But oh, he thinks, a scream caught in his throat as Jade's claws drag slowly down his chest, they're also so much worse.

“Whatcha thinking of?” Floyd asks, biting little chunks out of Azul's shoulders. He's draped over Azul's back like a curtain, putting both their weight on Jade, who holds Azul up with one hand and digs the other into raw flesh. They're too close together. They could kiss over his shoulder without stopping what they're doing for a second.

Azul laughs. “Nothing important.”

Their eyes gleam when he bleeds. It makes them look so terribly alive.


	6. Brotherhood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azul asks a question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific warnings: self-image issues (thanks, Azul), mentioned child abandonment, mentioned cannibalism, incest vibes, yandere vibes, general predatory creepiness.

Most merfolk get stuck with a lot of siblings. It's part cultural, part biological. Cetaceans may have one or two children at a time, but fish can lay thousands of eggs. Mostly the mix of different species balances out in merfolk, but that still means the average number of kids born at a time is around a dozen. Even the mermaid princess of legend had six sisters. That can be a problem. Juvenile merfolk tend to grow up fast, but some parents don't want to raise that many kids. Some don't want to raise kids at all. 

Unsurprisingly, there's great acceptance of relationships that won't produce children and a large focus on adoption in the Coral Sea. Azul's adopted himself, in fact, which explains why he was the only octopus where he grew up. Maybe, if there'd been more kids like him, then – 

But there weren't, so it doesn't matter. The point is, twins may be common on the surface, but you don't often see them down below. That makes Jade and Floyd an oddity. 

Not for being so similar. For being alone.

It's still early in their partnership when Azul bites the bullet. “Why are there only two of you?”

Jade blinks at him slowly, consideringly. They're outside in the current, far away from Atlantica, skimming the sand of the open ocean. It's not truly deep yet, but it is deeper than kids their age should be going. No one will overhear them out here. Floyd is swimming ahead of them, twisting and corkscrewing for reasons of his own, but he turns back when Azul opens his mouth.

The two of them glance at each other, both their yellow eyes shining like twin lanterns. 

“Should we?” Jade asks lightly.

Floyd's smile bristles with teeth. “We should.”

They turn to him as one, and Azul's prey animal ancestors start screeching at him to flee. He stays where he is, but slides into position for casting, just in case. He's not totally helpless. He can defend himself. “Forgive me if I've touched on a sore spot.”

Frenzied laughter bursts from Floyd's mouth. That's to be expected. It's more of a surprise when Jade joins in. They've been working hard to differentiate themselves these last few years, drawing thin but firm lines with body language and tone. All of that disappears as they cackle helplessly together. In that moment, they might as well be the same person.

For once, Floyd gets control of himself first. “How cute!”

“So kind,” Jade snickers, mouth curved impossibly wide. “Truly the second coming of the Sea Witch, to worry about people like us.”

Azul's jaw twitches. “You're praising me too much.”

“Praise?” Floyd snorts dismissively. “We're mad, bad, and dangerous to know. Only someone as kind as Azul would worry about us.”

“I knew that already.”

“So you did!” he crows.

“So he did,” Jade echoes. “But do you really want to know the rest of it?”

He sounds calm again, gentle even. That puts Azul on guard. But it's too late to back down now. He started this. He'll see it through to the end. That resolve must show, because the twins glance at each other again and nod once, in perfect sync.

“There's only two of us because...” Floyd starts, leaving the sentence dangling playfully.

“...we're not very good at being brothers,” Jade finishes.

Huh?

“At the beginning, there were more of us, though I can't say for certain how many. We were very small back then.” Jade holds two fingers up, just a few inches apart. “A baby moray is tiny. Barely more than a mouthful. But we skip the plankton stage, so we can go straight to hiding in the reef.”

That doesn't sound right. Why would fry be out on the reef? Even if their parents didn't want them, no orphanage would leave fry outside alone.

“But our reef wasn't healthy, you know?” Floyd says. “The coral was dying. All the fish were moving away and we were too little to follow. Not a lot of food for all of us to share.” He turns around and swims past Azul, curling around Jade as he does. The rips in their fins are gone by now, but Azul can still make out faint scars on their tails. Old injuries. Bad ones.

Jade picks the story up again, still smiling. “For a while, there were eight of us. We spread out over the reef and sang to each other so we wouldn't get in each other's way. But we kept growing and the fish kept leaving. Eventually, there wasn't enough for all of us.”

...hey. This isn't going where Azul thinks it's going, is it?

Something in Jade's eyes softens as he looks at his brother. “Floyd sang the most. The loudest. The sweetest. Like there was nothing he wouldn't do. Like he'd never even heard of holding back.”

“Aw, Jade!” Floyd coos. “You didn't sing so much. But you watched everyone, right?”

A graceful nod. “I did. Because I was looking for something. A partner.”

“And you chose me.”

“And I chose you.”

“So you chose each other?” Azul breaks in. A knot in his gut relaxes. “That's unexpectedly boring.”

The twins smile at him, their eyes narrowed to crescent moons. 

“We chose each other,” Jade says.

“And ate the rest,” Floyd finishes.

There it is. That's what he was afraid of. Azul huffs and makes himself cross his arms, as though he doesn't believe a word of it. “And your parents did nothing?”

Floyd shrugs, a smooth ripple of green and white skin. “We didn't have parents back then. Abandoned eggs. Right, Jade?”

“Right, Floyd. We were found eventually, but it was too late by then. It was only the two of us left.” Jade's teeth are showing now. Azul isn't sure when they came out. “What do you think, Azul? Is it a pitiful story?”

“It's certainly a story.” Azul doesn't know how much of this he believes. He supposes it doesn't particularly matter.

“Is that it?” Floyd asks, making one more loop around Jade before he glides into Azul's personal space. In a split-second, he's close enough to bite. 

Azul fights the urge to put some distance between them. If he runs, there will be blood. “Is there anything else to say? Shall I compliment you on your storytelling?”

With a flicker of fins, Floyd is drifting just above Azul's lap, heart-shaped face gazing up at him, long, sinuous tail coiled in on itself. It's almost enough to distract Azul from Jade slinking around behind him. “You're not gonna call us monsters, Azul?”

“Were you worried? There, there.” Azul makes a show of patting Floyd's head, careful not to do more than brush the drifting, whisker-like strands. “You can be any kind of monster imaginable and it won't change my feelings for you.” He needs them no matter what they are, after all.

For a moment, the twins are silent. His skin prickles under their stare. Then Floyd bursts into high-pitched laughter and surges forward, arms snapping around Azul's chest like a vise, even as Jade presses up against Azul's back and his arms tighten around Azul's shoulders. A second of heart-stopping terror later, Azul realizes he's not being eaten. He's being held. Thoroughly.

Why is he being held like this? Their hands are bruisingly firm on his slimy skin, their tails caging in his tentacles. There are claws at his neck, his stomach, his hips. He doesn't think he could slip free without being carved open. So he hangs there, carefully motionless, while the Leech twins shudder with mirth.

“Oh, Azul,” Floyd says at last, “you really are a bleeding heart.”

“Mmm,” Jade murmurs into the back of Azul's neck. “If you keep sweet-talking us like this, we'll never let you go.”

“Good,” Azul says shortly. “I still have jobs for you both.”

“Not even if you scream,” hums Floyd.

“Yes,” Jade agrees breathily. Azul shivers as bared teeth press just below his hairline, a mockery of a kiss. “Not even if you scream.”

That might be taken as a threat. You know, if he believed them.


	7. Blot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azul has always been weak, but he's never been pathetic before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific warnings: references to violence, Overblot, self-image issues, general predatory creepiness.

The thing about Azul, Floyd reflects, is that he's weak. Painfully, desperately, adorably so. His hands have never choked the life out of his victims. His teeth have never scraped against writhing bone. He's never used magic to make air pockets in the deep that hit with the force of bullets, or boiled the water around prey until it stops struggling, or yanked all the blood flow from someone's brain so they're not even conscious as he starts to eat. Azul is soft. Gentle, even, as long as he gets what he wants.

He doesn't often get what he wants. Floyd doesn't make a habit of remembering other peoples' mistakes – no really, he doesn't, stop laughing, Jade – but he remembers all the times some silly fry darted out of nowhere specifically to put Azul down. 

Okay, he remembers most of the times. Some of the times? He remembers it happening, anyway. That's more than he can say for most fish in the sea.

The first time Floyd saw someone bullying the octopus, he thought it looked like fun. But Jade was nervous and people were still staring at them, so dealing with that took priority. Afterwards, there didn't seem like much of a point. Azul had a routine figured out. And he didn't really yell or cry that much anymore – at least, not where anyone could see. He scribbled notes with all ten limbs and spent as much time as possible hidden away. Cracks in the coral. Holes in the sand. Gaps between rocks. Didn't matter, he'd hide there. It was kinda fun to try and spot him before Jade did. Floyd's still the reigning champion even though Azul doesn't hide from them much anymore.

Physically, anyway. Emotionally, Azul's still locked down tight. He's a cute little storm shelter, braced for a tsunami. It's so much fun to worm around the edges and pry carefully at the seal that holds his fragile self-esteem in place.

It's not fun at all to see that seal give way.

In the throws of Overblot, Azul can't even keep himself upright. He shakes and shudders like jello. One moment he's doubled over in pain, the next his back is arched and his head thrown back in maddened laughter. He jerks and twitches like a puppet on strings. The huge dark shape around him moves before he does, yanking all his limbs along on in mirrored gestures. It's disgusting how he lets someone else manipulate him. It's pathetic how happy he is to lose all sense of control.

And still he laughs. He laughs until his throat is ragged and his eyes are streaming tears. 

The thing about Azul is that he's weak. But he's not content with being weak. So he wraps his delicate hands around pen and parchment and uses them to claim the souls of his victims, speaks politely and wraps his enemies around his dainty fingers, shrouds himself in seamless armour so slick no fangs can find purchase. He's an ocean himself now, teeming with wicked and nameless things, his smile a flash of silver in the dark. You can't hurt him in any way that matters. That's what makes him fun.

“Make a deal with me...” this limp shadow of Azul begs, head held at a painful angle, smiling so wide Floyd's jaw aches in sympathy. “Sign the contract...”

Jade looks disappointed. Floyd feels the same way.

The Azul who sharpened his wits until they gleamed like knives, who took his clumsy tentacles and turned them into instruments of power, who choked down all his hatred and made all his enemies bow before him... that's the Azul Floyd likes. The one who smiles sweet as fugu. Who can make even routine interesting. If it were that Azul asking them to make a contract, eyes bright with some new scheme, Floyd would say yes without thinking twice. 

But it isn't. So he doesn't.

“I wouldn't mind if you were your normal self, but right now, it's a no-go.”

“I agree,” Jade says primly.

Azul sobs and lets his head loll back until his throat bulges up grotesquely. Floyd's never wanted to sink his teeth into something less.

 _Hurry up and come back, Azul,_ he thinks, dodging another swipe of that inky trident. _Before we give up on you._

It would be such a waste to let a good toy self-destruct.


	8. Grotto

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins take Azul treasure-hunting.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific warnings: cannibalism, twisted and fluffy feelings, general predatory creepiness.

All growing things seek their own space. On land, youths group together and begin spending more and more time outside the home; in the Coral Sea, there's a strong tradition of youths spreading out and hiding things away. It may sound similar, but it's not the same. For one thing, surface-dweller teens generally aren't vanishing into the woods for days on end. Or if they are, it's frowned upon. Most large marine species are nomadic and prone to lengthy migration patterns. Merfolk, with their shining cities and coral-studded gardens, are no exception. 

Atlantica moves through the year, shifting steadily along old routes carved out with old magic, while adolescents school at the outskirts and begin working out how far their instincts will drive them from home. This, too, is part of being young.

Azul is a homebody. He's never been particularly interested in straying into unknown waters. But the twins are restless, always moving, always peering into the dark. Elementary school was such a new experience for them that they stayed relatively still and quiet, but middle school was an exercise in patience for everyone involved. 

They were everywhere. They got into everything. After an incident during first year that nobody, not even the victims, would tell Azul about, the scent of blood always clung to them. Their scars healed and their fins grew full, but the feverish light in their mismatched eyes only grew brighter. By second year, they'd clearly set up shop somewhere in the blue expanse. Third year saw them spending almost as much time outside Atlantica as within it. 

That can't continue into high school. Not if they intend to stay at NRC.

“Uwah,” Floyd coos when Azul confronts him about it that summer, “you've done a lot of work, Azul!” He doesn't even have the decency to sound concerned or upset about it. 

Jade smiles sweetly. “That's to be expected, Floyd. Azul is our school's number one honour student, after all.”

Azul bristles, but doesn't show it. He refuses to let Jade win. It's still very early in their partnership and he's convinced that if the twins get one over on him, they'll leave. He's never had friends before, not even fair-weather friends, so the only relationship dynamic he can conceive of is mutually taking advantage. That's not a set-up which can last if the score is unbalanced. Instead of dwelling on it, he asks, “Where are you going?”

“What made you so curious?” Jade asks.

Floyd is more direct. “Who wants to know, hm?”

If Azul were slightly more comfortable around them, he'd cross his arms. But he's not, so he doesn't. He can't afford to take two of his limbs out of the equation. What if he needs to defend himself? “I need to know so I can give the correct excuses when people notice that you're absent.”

“Eh, Azul's worried about us?” The twins leer at him, their golden eyes flashing. There's something wrong with those eyes. Not wrong as in malfunctioning – wrong as in _should not be._ Too deep, too bright, too sharp. Searing yellow set into faces just a little fishier than average. A tiny pinprick of a pupil. No matter how soft or saddened the olive eyes become, the yellow ones are never anything but hungry. 

“I'm not,” Azul says quickly. “I'm taking care of my investments, that's all.”

Their gold eyes gleam like sickly anglerfish lures as they laugh at him. 

“Well, we can't interfere with Azul's investments!” Floyd crows. 

“Such a pity we're not up to something interesting.” Jade's eyes curve into crescents. It would look apologetic if it wasn't so mocking. “We found a grotto, that's all.”

'Grotto' is something of a loaded term in the Coral Sea. The Mermaid Princess had one, of course, and she kept all her treasures there. The location of that particular grotto has either been lost to history or is being guarded zealously by the royal family, even after all the contents were moved into museums, but the idea of it lives on. As young merfolk get restless and begin forming family groups and working out migration patterns, they single out coral spires, dig holes in the sand, or find caves and make themselves at home. A grotto is not a living space – not long-term, anyway – but it is a space where fun is had, things are stored, and business is conducted. 

It's also a very normal thing, and that itself is a relief. Everyone has grottos. Technically speaking, even Azul's octopus pots qualify, but he's planning to upgrade once he hits the surface. His parents have entire restaurants. He wants something big and classy like that.

“I see. Are you clearing things out or setting up security perimeters?”

The twins glance at each other. One of them – probably Floyd – is humming softly, the sound filtering out of his gills rather than his mouth. Azul fights the urge to shudder. Pharyngeal jaws give him the creeps.

Jade tilts his head, still looking at Floyd. “Clearing things out?” 

“Nah,” Floyd says. “Stocking up.”

Azul scowls. “Well, stop that. You can't take it with you. Either bring it home or let it go.”

Finally, they break eye contact to blink at him – olive eyes first, then the gold. “Bring it home?”

“If you hate the thought of leaving it to the waves, then bring it home,” he repeats, clicking his tongue. “Though I didn't take you two as materialistic.”

“Oh!” Floyd smacks the palm of his hand and grins. “We're not hoarding. It's just hard to empty things out, you know? Every time we think we've gotten everything, something new pops up.”

“It's our fault.” Jade sighs mournfully. “We spent too much time tweaking the undertow.”

And now they're back to being concerning. “What, exactly, have you been collecting out there?”

They smile at him, sweet and toothy.

“Perhaps it would be better if you saw for yourself.”

“Aaa, we should show him! C'mon, Azul, let's go!”

Azul's survival instinct tells him to turn around right now and swim for home. But if he does that, he'll ruin his credibility with the twins. So he sets his jaw and moves forward, careful to keep as many tentacles available for spellcasting as he can. If his ink sac is trembling, well, nobody needs to know that. “After you.”

They lead him past the city limits, beneath the sunlight zone, out into a network of rocky outcrops that might have been an archipelago once, before sea levels rose. He keeps an eye out for other predators, but he needn't have bothered. The twilight zone is densely populated, but something about the long, sinuous shape of the Leech brothers on the move drives off competition. Azul can make out the silhouettes of whales in the distance, shrimp scuttling along the ocean floor, and tiny fish too small to bother with. None of the other animals dare come close.

Not for the first time, Azul wonders what else lurks in the twins' blood. It's not the moray in them that drives the hunters away. But whatever it is, it's buried so deep that most merfolk overlook it, except when the twins smile just right. Except when they look too long into those uncanny gold eyes.

Maybe it's all in his head, but Azul swears the smell of dead flesh grows stronger the further out they swim.

“Here we are!” Floyd sings at last, off-kilter notes flying from his tongue like whalesong.

“Here it is,” Jade confirms, diving toward one particular tower of rock. A quick curve around the stone and he sees it. The smell doubles. Triples. Quadruples.

“That's not a grotto,” Azul says numbly.

“Eh? Then what is it?”

It's terrible, is what it is. But he can't tear his eyes away. An undersea graveyard stretches out before him: heaps of white bone, tidy piles of shark skin, mountains of corpses. Whales. Sharks. Rays. Squids. Things less identifiable. Predator and prey, stacked together in crude magic circles that hurt to look at. Not because they're clumsy – though they are – but because they tap directly into the push and pull of the currents. They must be tracking thousands of miles worth of ocean. Any body above a certain size is caught and dragged here, where it's preserved for later. There's no wasted power, no tell-tale bleed, because everything that isn't used to draw in the dead goes right back into the water. A perfect trap. 

“A whale fall,” he breathes.

“Whale fall,” Floyd repeats. “What a cute name!”

Jade's lips pull back, flashing white teeth. “Indeed.”

They swim closer without hesitation. Azul bobs along in their wake, trying not to breathe too deeply. His parents might be chefs, but they're the highest class of chef, working with the finest ingredients. They cook for royalty. Their kitchens are the furthest thing in the world from this.

At least there aren't any scavengers. Azul doesn't think his stomach would be able to take that.

Floyd spins suddenly, coiling in on himself in a show of flexibility before darting off in another direction. “Jade, look! We got another one!”

“Excellent eyes, Floyd.” Jade doesn't tie himself in a knot. He just calmly steers himself and Azul after Floyd.

With a sinking heart, Azul spots a flash of red in the sand. It isn't blood. It's hair. There on the sand is a person: salmon tail, peach skin, long orangey-red tendrils drifting around a still face. Their eyes are glassy. Their chest isn't moving. They are, he realizes, very dead.

“It's a big one!” Floyd oozes forward, all fins and hungry smile. In seconds, he's hauling the body up, tilting its head back and clearing the cloud of hair away. The corpse is covered in abrasions from contact with the rocks and something's nibbled at the ribcage, but the cause of death is unclear.

“It is,” Jade agrees. “Heart attack?”

“Heart failure, anyway. Just look.” Flesh squishes under Floyd's fingers as he pries the wound open. Azul sees nothing unusual about the slick muscle, but Jade is nodding. They see something he can't. “It's not catching, so we're good!”

Despite what Floyd said about the corpse's size, the body looks small in his hands. It may be fully grown, but Floyd is already terribly long. He's going to be huge someday. Jade, too. That thought fills Azul with dread.

“What a pity,” he says blankly.

“Oh well.” Floyd yanks the head back as far it will go and sinks his teeth into its neck. The meat comes free with a terrible squelch. “More for us.”

Bile burns the back of Azul's throat. Somehow, he keeps smiling, even when Jade rips off an arm and begins stripping it of flesh. It's not like he's surprised, exactly. They already told him they were cannibals. There's just a difference between knowing something and seeing it for yourself.

This sort of thing... it's not illegal, exactly. Food is scarce in the open ocean. Stranded merfolk will do what they have to. But watching a corpse that looks like him vanish, bite by bite, behind delicate lips... it's doing something to Azul. He wishes he knew what.

“Do you do this often?” he asks. It comes out distant, almost placid. 

Floyd snaps up a finned ear and looks up, clouds of blood drifting up between his teeth. “Yeah? Nah?”

Jade's mouth is full, but his shoulders ripple in a shrug.

“Sort of,” Floyd concludes. “We didn't do it purpose, you know? But the net kept dragging in people.”

“Someone else might have reported the corpses to the authorities,” Azul notes. “The guard, perhaps.”

Laughter. “Eh, our old man's in the guard! He says they don't care. People die at sea, right?”

“Right,” Jade chimes in, licking his lips clean. “Ordinarily, the bodies might drift into populated areas, so really, it's a public service.”

Azul smiles. “Of course.”

“So we've been eating them before they become someone else's problem. Or selling them at school.” Floyd cackles. “You'd be surprised how many kids can't tell the difference between merfolk and dolphin!”

“I suspect I would.” The part of Azul's brain that never stops moving tucks that information away for later, when he has the presence of mind to take advantage.

Floyd flares his fins suddenly, as though he's just remembered something. “Ah, we've been so rude! Did you want some, Azul?”

“Oh my,” Jade murmurs, drawing back from a shoulder joint that's now nothing but exposed bone. “Forgive us. We've been hogging the best parts.”

“It's fine, it's fine. The heart's still there, right, Jade?”

“Right, Floyd.” They turn to him together, teeth hidden for once. Bones crack as Jade pries the chest open again. “Well, Azul?”

“It's sweet, we promise!”

They aren't challenging him. Azul wishes they were. If only this was a cruel test instead of a pair of monsters trying to be considerate. He keeps smiling as he drifts forward, feeling divorced from his body. The twins shift as he approaches to give him more room. Not that it's necessary. He's so much smaller than they are. His skin softer where his hand touches Jade's. Blunt nails scrabble against coarse muscle. It takes him several seconds to get a good grip and longer to yank the heart free. 

The corpse's expression doesn't change. The twins smile wide, proud of him, as he raises the organ to his lips. It smells like blood and death. But this close, he can only feel meat. It's a surprisingly fine cut. 

He wonders if he would eat this if he'd stumbled across the body alone. A good person wouldn't. But Azul is not a good person, and he is terribly, morbidly curious. The longer he thinks about this, the more his mouth begins to water.

Ah, it's funny. He may not have the twins' monstrous blood running through his veins, but it doesn't matter. Anyone can be a monster, after all.

“Well?” Floyd stretches the word out until it's hardly even recognizable. Jade says nothing, but he watches just as closely.

“Thank you,” Azul says, and bites down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it is CANNIBALISM TIME my dudes


	9. Glow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The twins are bioluminescent.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific warnings: mentioned child abandonment, implied cannibalism, incest vibes, yandere vibes, general predatory creepiness.

It doesn't matter how good your eyes are – the ocean is a huge blue filter. Like all marine life, merfolk have learned to adapt. Anyone with more than a drop of cetacean in them can echolocate. You can hear it in their voices when they speak: a steady stream of little clicks, bouncing off their surroundings and coming back with fun environmental facts like _there's a wall coming up_ or _lava vent ahead_. Others with more shark prefer to track bioelectrical signals in the water. Jade generally favours smell over anything else; it's by far his most reliable sense, after all. But sight has a certain je ne sais quoi all its own.

Quite literally. One can't put something omnipresent into words until one has experienced life without it, after all. 

For as long as Jade can remember, he's seen the world through a wreath of brilliant neon blue. Running in stripes along his arms. Pooled in splotches on his back. Looped around his eyes, his neck, his hips, the tattered edges of his fins. He glows so brightly that he can't believe anyone could ever overlook him. That's terrifying. It drives him to stay in the nooks and crannies of the reef for as long as he can. He first identifies the others by their light – patterns slightly different, but every bit as bright.

They sing to each other from far away. No words – they can't speak yet, aren't even really aware of language as a concept – just warnings. With time, they cobble together specific tunes to convey specific meanings: _I'm here, I'm scared, I'm hungry_. I, I, I. Such a small, self-centred existence. But it can't be helped. To creatures that grow up alone, afraid, and starving, 'I' is all that matters.

When the child who will be Jade lays eyes on the child who will be Floyd for the first time, that changes. It's not that his self-centred world breaks down, exactly. More that his concept of 'I' expands. Jade looks at the long, scarred expanse of Floyd's tail, his ragged fins, the way his eyes droop and his mouth curves upward in a sickly grin, and sees himself. His own bright markings, glowing fiercely in the dark. That, more than any superficial resemblance, is what convinces Jade that they're the same. 

The others have markings, too. Not quite a match for Jade's – a hollow replica, just like their eyes. Those bright glowing patterns give them away, no matter where they try to hide.

Later, when Jade is Jade and Floyd is Floyd and they're twins instead of sole survivors, Jade realizes that there's something up with those markings. Specifically, no one else seems to be able to see them. It's odd. They aren't exactly subtle. Half of Jade's face shines searing blue. You'd think, based on the way children crowd around anyone with unusual colouring, that someone would've pointed it out. But whenever their classmates talk about the two of them, it's always about the dull green stripes around and beneath the ones that glow brighter or dimmer on command.

“They're stupid,” Floyd says dismissively.

Jade hums thoughtfully. “Perhaps.”

“They can't see what's right in front of their faces.”

“Yes.” 

The next week in class, their teacher brings up the topic of bioluminescence. For once, Jade and Floyd behave themselves in class, too busy listening intently to start any trouble. Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by any animal, occurring widely in marine organisms. It has a variety of purposes: distraction, defence, camouflage, offence, even communication. Some use their light to lure in food. Others use it to disguise their presence. Some have hidden light that shines on a frequency only they – and other members of their species or breed, of course – can see.

How interesting.

By unspoken agreement, neither of the twins brings it up with anyone. They've already had so much of their lives extracted from them, piece by piece, first by their rescuers, then by the adoption agency, then by their new parents. What little personal truths they have left are hoarded viciously. If others can't see the glowing stripes that wrap delicately around them, that's just fine. One more secret just between the two of them.

Like so many of their secrets, it doesn't last long after Azul comes into their lives.

“That's enough. Signal Floyd,” Azul says. The two of them out at the edge of Atlantica, watching someone Azul hates swim frantically for the city. Floyd, layered with so much illusion magic that he's almost a cloud of teeth, is snapping at their bleeding tail.

Jade breathes deep and smiles. “Now how would I do that?”

“Bioluminescence, obviously. Unless you plan to pull out something completely ridiculous like twin telepathy?”

“Oh my, you certainly think highly of us. Unfortunately, our eyes don't glow that brightly.” It's a lie. They can see each other's gold eyes through thousands of feet of water. But that's none of Azul's business.

Azul scoffs. “It wasn't that hard to put together. You're always tracing patterns along each other's skin with your eyes.”

Ha. Azul would find out through something simple like that. “You've been watching us that closely? How embarrassing. We should report this kind of behaviour to the city guard.”

“Just signal him.” Azul sighs, gesturing to Floyd's – well, teeth. Everything about Floyd is teeth now. Even so, he glows with excitement underneath. “It'll be a pain if he gets himself caught.”

Jade smiles indulgently and flares his light, once, twice, until Floyd peels off and vanishes into the gloom of the open sea. The swimmer doesn't even notice he's gone. Too busy fleeing for home. What a pity no one will believe their story. “Oh, look, he stopped on his own. You should trust him a little more, Azul.”

Azul rolls his eyes so hard they almost fall out of his head. “Why would I trust either of you?”

What a cute response. Everything about Azul is cute these days. The way he turns to face Floyd but doesn't quite let Jade out of his sight. The calculations always whirring behind his silvery eyes. The way he only ever shows his teeth when he's angry or so happy he could die. The way he keeps opening up buried scars long after Jade has stopped expecting anyone to notice.

Jade tilts his head and watches Azul watch Floyd spiral back to them, illusion shed, searing bright with light Azul cannot see. Light that could be telling Jade to do absolutely anything. Attack him. Grab him. Eat him. Sink claws in deep, close enough to the fragile spinal cord that Azul can't move even if he wants to, and hold him still and open as Floyd closes in. Azul wouldn't even know until they moved. Jade's smile grows wider. “Why, indeed?”

If Floyd notices the ripple in Jade's glow, he's kind enough not to draw attention to it. Though 'kind' may be the wrong word. And Azul - 

Well, if they decide to do anything to Azul, he'll be the first to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> false moray eels glow irl! the tweels probably didn't get their glow from these little fellows, though. when all else fails, blame it on the deep sea monster someone in their family tree definitely fucked at some point.


	10. Fish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jade gets pranked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific warnings: incest vibes, mild body horror, general predatory creepiness.

There’s no warning. One second, Jade is standing quietly outside one of the school exits, waiting patiently waiting for Floyd to stop chatting up the unfortunate ‘transfer student’ – the next, he’s drenched and there’s a cauldron bouncing off his head. He has just enough time to realize what’s happened before the transformation kicks in. Cold ripples over him as he drops to his knees, struggling to get his uniform off before it tears. Never mind that there’s people looking at him. He can save the blazer, at least. The shoes, too. Everything else is already beginning to tear at the seams.

Up above, someone starts yelling. Jade rolls awkwardly to the side and spies two figures on one of the upper floors, leaning half out of an open window. One of them has long rabbit ears and is cackling so hard he looks like he might fall. The nictitating membrane is sweeping over Jade’s eyeballs, so it takes him a second to recognize the beastman as that irritating prankster from Savanaclaw. Jade hopes he does. The other is a ruffled-looking Deuce Spade. 

Water, empty cauldron, laughing prankster, angry Deuce. It does not take a genius to put two and two together.

“Oh my.” Jade sighs and does his best to hold still until he’s done reverting to his true form. This courtyard isn’t abandoned. It would be inconvenient if he broke something during the growing pains. So he lies there on his side, arms stretched out where he can see him, and watches the skin go slick and green. 

As expected, his clothes are in shreds. They were designed for human proportions, after all. Even without the claws now coming in, each of Jade’s dark green fingers is about twice its usual width.

Several seconds of excruciating discomfort later, the transformation ends, and Jade slumps to the grass as an eel. His tail feels terribly heavy and awkward on dry land. He could push himself up on his hands, but he doesn’t want to look up. He knows people saw what happened. How embarrassing for everyone. And him without any legs to chase them down and threaten them into silence on.

“Jade?” Floyd calls, leaning out the door. “What’s going on–” 

He stops talking halfway through the sentence and just stares down at Jade curled up on the ground. His eyes are enormous. Jade sighs again and resigns himself for what’s coming. Sure enough, Floyd crosses the distance between them faster than the blink of an eye. 

“Why’d you get your tail out? It’s so dry up here!”

Jade laughs quietly, covering his mouth with one hand. At least Floyd’s back is blocking part of him from view. “An accident, I believe.”

At least, it better have been an accident. Floyd follows his gaze up to the open window and grins meanly. “Mackerel slipped up?”

“Far more likely he was tripped.” Julian Black has beat a hasty retreat, leaving Deuce alone and clearly frustrated. That rabbit is exactly the kind of nuisance who’d mess with other students carrying things in the halls and then laugh if anyone else was inconvenienced. Jade drags his nails through the dirt, carving a deep score into the manicured lawn. It starts growing over immediately, but the damage makes him feel better.

Floyd glances down at Jade, grin fading. “Fine, fine, I won’t squeeze him.”

“How kind of you.” Jade makes the mistake of glancing around Floyd and his own smile freezes on his face. Oh dear. The courtyard definitely isn’t abandoned. Not everyone is looking at them, but enough are. He wants to hide in a hole never come out.

“Hold on,” Floyd says, picking up on Jade’s… continued discomfort. Not fear. Neither of them can afford fear. “I got you.”

Jade turns back to his twin, fake smile in place, just in time for Floyd to slide his arms under Jade’s hip and shoulder and lift. Being picked up is an experience. It’s not that Floyd’s never picked Jade up before, but like so many things, it takes on a whole new meaning on land. Mostly that meaning is unsteady and unsafe. Jade’s arms fly to Floyd’s shoulders while his tail wraps tightly around Floyd’s waist. It feels like clinging to a rock in the current. If he slips even slightly, he’ll fall. 

Bright laughter, slightly strained. “Eh, you’re squeezing me, now?”

“Gravity is an unkind mistress,” Jade says, and does not loosen his grip. He wants to look over Floyd’s shoulder. He never wants to look at anyone else ever again. He ends up peeking out just enough to see poor, dear Yuu standing by the exit, locked in some kind of internal battle.

Jade does hope they don’t try to comfort him about this. That would just be terribly awkward. Besides, it’s a waste of time that could be spent teasing Deuce or ruining Julian.

Floyd is out of breath by the time he stops walking beside a large fountain. Jade continues clinging to him after Floyd drops his arms. 

“Really?” he asks archly. “I’m not going to fit.”

“You will, you will!”

Well, if Floyd thinks so… Jade glances down, does some calculations, and begins to lower himself into the water. It’s pleasantly cool against his fins. There’s just enough space for him here, though he does have to loop back on himself. More importantly, he’s no longer so terribly obvious. The part of him that hates being noticed, despises being the centre of attention, longs to dive deep and only ever come up for food, is satisfied.

“Sorry for interrupting your date,” Jade says.

Floyd wheezes immediately, clutching his sides. “Ahaha, I can’t breathe! You squeezed too tight.”

“My, my. Cracked ribs?”

“Bruises!”

That’s fine, then. Floyd likes bruises. Jade settles lower in the fountain, letting the water flow over the twitching tendrils of his hair. It tastes like concentrated magic, but it feels fine, so he opens up his gills. They can breathe air as well as water, but water is and will always be more familiar. Floyd sits by the side of the fountain, ignoring the water stains spreading over his clothes and the patches of green peeking from his open collar, and watches Jade relax.

“We should call Azul,” he says after a few minutes of silence. “He’ll want names.”

Jade blinks up at him from underwater. Call Azul?

Oh. They can call Azul, can’t they? He’ll want to know what happened, who was involved, and what the damages are. And then he’ll politely tear the campus apart until he finds a way to get Jade back to the dorm, where he’ll start clicking his tongue about potential injuries to Jade’s person and Octavinelle’s reputation. Jade’s pretty sure he’s in the clear this time – it was definitely not his fault, and Julian’s reputation is arguably worse than theirs. If anything, this little disaster might make Jade come off as more approachable. A net positive.

“He’s going to say he told us so,” Jade says thoughtfully.

Floyd shrugs, smiling brightly. “He did, though. We all knew this could happen.”

That’s true. Taking the transformation potion that came undone on contact with water was a calculated risk. “We weren’t expecting underclassmen to dump water on us from several floors above.”

“It was a possibility!”

“Many things are possible. That doesn’t mean they are probable.” 

Floyd chuckles and reaches out to poke Jade’s forehead with one gloved finger. The fabric soaks through immediately. Jade can feel the claw forming underneath. “Shhh. You’re a fish now.”

Jade laughs back. “Am I a pretty fish, at least?”

“The prettiest.” 

It’s not a terrible way to spend an afternoon. Not that that stops Jade from cheerfully handing Julian’s name over to Azul later. He can’t wait to see what wonderfully inventive punishment Azul comes up with. If all goes well, Leona may even thank them for doing something about that boy.

Or they could just eat him. That's fine, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Cameo from Julian Black, created by @twsty-lav.tumblr.com. It was either gonna be him or Deuce who splashed Jade. I decided to give the blame to someone who'd deserve it.


	11. Order

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Azul and Julian have a chat in the aftermath of Fish.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter-specific warnings: yandere vibes, general predatory creepiness.

“The problem with you,” Azul says, “is that you can’t keep well enough alone.”

Julian Black spits at him. It falls pathetically short, landing on the stone floor just a few inches away from Julian’s face, but the sentiment comes across loud and clear. “Like I care.”

Charming. Azul smiles wide, flashing all his teeth, and sinks gracefully to one knee. He moves slowly enough that he can watch Julian’s face flash through every stage of confusion – shock, uncertainty, disbelief, mulish refusal to _think_ – before he finally sinks his fingers into Julian’s hair. Huge, twitching rabbit ears stiffen at either side of Julian’s head, but Azul doesn’t bother with them. They’re too obviously a weak point. If Azul dug his blunt surface-dweller nails into those soft cartilage structures, he’d be undermining his own argument.

He’s not trying to hammer in that Julian is an herbivore. They both know this. What he wants is to teach Julian to _not touch his things._ So he digs his fingers in until his nails scratch Julian’s scalp and forces the second year’s head back. “If you didn’t care, you wouldn’t keep poking at things that have nothing to do with you.”

“Nothing to do with me,” Julian echoes mockingly. “Because the dons of Octavinelle are so good at minding their own business!”

Azul shakes his head and laughs gently. “Are you really trying to compare our business model to your petty revenge?”

For a moment, Julian stills under his fingers. Then the rabbit lurches back into motion. There’s a lot of muscle in his spindly frame – strong shoulders, solid core, powerful legs – but all the muscle in the world is useless without leverage. Azul would know. The twins make a habit of pinning him whenever they want to remind him of how small he is, a casual display of strength and cunning that never fails to make his insides twist with confused frustration. At this point, he considers himself something of an expert in how to make someone feel helpless.

With Julian, that means restraining his legs so thoroughly that A Hop And A Skip is useless, and then binding his arms for good measure. It wasn’t even that hard, really. No one is faster than Julian, but Azul doesn’t need to be fast when he has access to sleeping potions and the key to Julian’s room. Some would say that kidnapping someone in their sleep for a little chat is cheating. Azul agrees. But as long as it works, who cares?

Julian grins hugely, fakely. “While we’re talking about petty revenge, should I bring up that whole messy Overblot business?” 

“You could, but it won’t change anything.”

That grin falters. “Huh?”

“I didn’t bring you here to talk about revenge,” Azul says. “I don’t know what you have against the rest of Savanaclaw, and frankly, I don’t care. Leona Kingscholar backstabbed me and destroyed our deal. Ruggie Bucchi is a persistent thorn in my side. And Jack Howl…” He sighs. “Suffice to say, you could trick the three of them into diving in an underwater cave and I would not shed a tear when they didn’t come up for air.”

Long ears twitch uncomfortably. “O-oi, that’s a little…”

“Does that sound cruel? It’s only the truth.” Azul tightens his grip on Julian’s hair and pulls him up so they’re almost eye to eye. “I don’t care what you do to the rest of your dorm, but leave Octavinelle out of it. My people are not part of your little crusade.” 

“Like hell they aren’t! You’re all carnivores!”

Oh. Is that what this is about? “Julian. You do realize that in the sea, there’s precious little difference between plants and animals, correct?” Judging by the slight quiver running through those wonderfully expressive ears, Julian did not realize this. How cute. “Most ocean ecosystems are built on a foundation of plankton, and zooplankton and phytoplankton are very hard to tell apart. Beings like sea anemones are functionally half-plant, half-animal. And the giants of the sea – the ones so big that they change the whole food chain with their presence – tend to be filter feeders. So you see, words like ‘herbivore’ and ‘carnivore’ tend to mean very different things to us.”

Julian sets his jaw with a stony glare. “Did you seriously just ‘not all apex predators’ me?”

Azul laughs again, sharper this time. “Whatever gave you the impression I was an apex predator? Really, you should do your research before making accusations.”

Octopi get eaten by just about everything past a certain size, after all.

“Liar!” Julian begins to thrash in Azul’s grip, his face contorting beautifully. “You all walk like them! Like you’re so much better than me! If you were actually a prey animal, then–”

“Then I’d understand your pain?” Azul tilts his head. His teeth are still out. Poor, sweet Julian doesn’t seem to understand what that means. “Oh, trust me, I do. I make a habit of knowing what people are going through. But I don’t feel a need to spill those emotions everywhere. It seems terribly rude to draw attention to other peoples’ wounds.” He gives Julian’s hair a sharp tug. “Bullying is well and good, but if you’re going to really hurt someone, you might as well do it in private. Public humiliation is just gauche.”

The struggling stops. “What the hell? Did you seriously kidnap me over one prank?”

“Would I do something like that?”

Yes, obviously. A thousand times yes. Jade was not made to be helpless, but an eel on land can be nothing else. Azul remembers green skin stained with grass, the way Jade’s tail spilled out over the sides of the fountain, the faint lines around his eyes that lingered long after he was safely dried out again, and smiles wider. Floyd is invincible and Jade is untouchable. Those are fundamental laws of the universe. Even when everything else is upset, those facts remain true. Seeing those immutable truths disrupted… for a terrible moment, Azul thought he might actually kill whoever made Jade look so tired and fragile.

Then he reconsidered, because NRC will allow many things – and Crowley owes Azul a lot – but flat-out murder within the student body is still frowned upon. This is why Julian got sleeping potion in his salad dressing rather than one of Pomefiore’s more toxic efforts. This is why Azul is kneeling over him in an isolated, empty room somewhere in the underwater depths of Octavinelle rather than signing off on a change to the Mostro Lounge menu.

Julian twists, something uneasy flickering through his big, dewy eyes. It’s like he’s never seen someone planning his murder before. But that can’t be true, right? A prankster running rampant in Savanaclaw, singling out the biggest and most ferocious students as targets, must have been faced with plenty of attempts on his life. It wouldn’t make sense otherwise. “O-oi, you… what’s with that look? I didn’t even touch you. What, does that guy have something over you? Is this some ‘challenge’ to your ‘authority?’”

“Not at all. Dominance among merfolk doesn’t work like that.” With his free hand, Azul pinches Julian’s cheek. “Savanaclaw’s hierarchy is rooted in power, correct? Whoever is the strongest commands the most respect, and therefore leads the pack. We’re rather more subtle under the sea. More independent. We listen to whoever gets results.”

“Bullshit,” Julian snaps. “I’ve seen you fighting your first years. Putting the fear of you into them.”

“Is that what it looks like to you? I assure you, it’s rather different from inside.” Azul rubs a soft circle into the corner of Julian’s jaw. “Well, there is some instinct involved, but these days, it’s hardly a pecking order. We fight to express discontent. Or hadn’t you noticed that it’s usually the first years picking fights with me?”

Another tense ear flick. “What, that makes it better?”

“Perhaps not, but it is a difference. It’s not a matter of forcing others into submission so much as it is making sure others will listen when you bare your teeth.”

Finally, Julian’s eyes drop to Azul’s smile. “You’ve been baring your teeth this whole time.”

“Yes.”

“You’ve been baring your teeth this whole time, and all you’ve done is pull my hair and poke me,” he says, voice low and strangely triumphant.

Azul inclines his head. “I’ve been waiting for us to get on the same page. I want to make sure you know why you’re being punished.”

“For fucking with your friends?”

A low, sinister chuckle. The kind of sound that sinks into your bones. “No. For messing with what belongs to me.” It looks like Julian wants to say something to that, but Azul digs his fingers in sharply at either side of the rabbit’s jaw and shuts him right up. “Hush, now. I was thinking about just dealing with you, but I don’t think the Headmaster would approve, so I’m going to try something else.” He grins wide, hauling Julian off the floor effortlessly. “Octavinelle’s hierarchy is rooted in usefulness. Let’s see what use we can find for you, hm?”

A string of incoherent syllables drop from Julian’s tongue. Azul has no particular idea what he’s trying to say. He doesn’t particularly care, either. Instead, he reaches over to the briefcase he brought with him and cracks it open. Julian begins to shake when the contents catch the light. Sheer terror looks much better on him than bravado. 

Jade would love to see this. Azul will have to take pictures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another direct sequel! I swear this didn't happen on purpose.
> 
> Cameo from Julian Black, created by @twsty-lav.tumblr.com.


End file.
